Urodacus lunatus

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Urodacus lunatus
Male holotype of Urodacus lunatus.png
Holotype ♂

Scale bar = 1 cm (0.4 in)

Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Scorpiones
Family: Urodacidae
Genus: Urodacus
Species:
U. lunatus
Binomial name
Urodacus lunatus
Buzatto et al., 2023
Distribution map of Urodacus unciter (yellow) and Urodacus lunatus (green).png
Urodacus lunatus is only shown by green circles

Urodacus lunatus is a rare species of burrowing scorpion in the family Urodacidae. It is endemic to the northern part of western Australia and was described in 2023. [1]

Contents

Description

Urodacus lunatus cannot be distinguished from Urodacus uncinus with external morphology and examination of genitalia is required. [1]

Distribution and ecology

The species is known from 9 specimens from 3 locations in Pilbara shown by the green circles on the range map. These locations only make up around 50 km2 (20 mi2), which means it is a short-range endemic species, as it is likely distributed in under 10,000 km2 (3860 mi2). [1]

It is likely fossorial but this is based on the similar species U. uncinus . It is hypothesized that the males travel longer distances to mate, as this is common in the genus. [1]

Etymology

The specific epithet "lunatus" refers to the crescent or lunate shape of the laminar hook in the hemispermatophore, a part of the genitalia. [1]

Shape of the laminar hook (Lh) Hemispermatophore of Urodacus lunatus.png
Shape of the laminar hook (Lh)


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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Buzatto, Bruno A.; Clark, Huon L.; Harvey, Mark S.; Volschenk, Erich S. (2023-11-03). Cooper, Steven (ed.). "Two new species of burrowing scorpions (Urodacidae: Urodacus) from the Pilbara region of Western Australia with identical external morphology". Australian Journal of Zoology. 71 (1). doi: 10.1071/ZO23018 . ISSN   0004-959X.